What can I give my 13 month old who may have allergies?

Question

Hello, my 13 month old daughter suffers from an allergy that I assume is to pollen. When she stays outside for too long, her nose runs constantly, her eyes become red and very very swollen. She becomes very irritable. We are planning to go camping soon, what can I give her to relieve her? Her allergist seemed to say that it was possible that she was allergic to pollen despite her age but that it was too early to make a diagnosis. Can we give them antihistamines at this age? And if so which one would you recommend?

Sarah-Yan Chagnon · Accepted Answer

Hello, It would be very surprising if your child had seasonal allergies at this age, as these usually develop around the age of 4. In fact, it takes our bodies several years of exposure to the allergen before our immune system detects it and starts to overreact, which creates the allergies. So, I suggest you find another cause for his symptoms. For his nasal congestion, you can clean his nose regularly with a saline solution. If you didn't already know, here is the document from Ste-Justine Hospital on this subject https://www.chusj.org/getmedia/d81f7af6-a93c-4e86-9011-f523e13279a8/depliant_F-886_hygiene-nasale.pdf.aspx?ico=.pdf For the eyes, is it better to protect them from the wind with a hat with a larger brim or with a net on the stroller? It is possible that the wind, the sun or particles in the air can be irritating to the eyes If you want to try an antihistamine, you could try either cetirizine (Reactin) or desloratadine (Aerius). Both of these products are officially recommended in Canada for children aged 2 years and older. However, they are approved for children 6 months and older in the United States. Reactin is also used in some cases in infants to treat anaphylactic-type reactions The dose to try would be 2.5mg for Reactin and 1.25mg for Aerius. I recommend that you go to your local pharmacist who can show you the products available and convert the doses into milliliters of syrup. Note that the products are reputed to be non-drowsy, but Reactine can create drowsiness in about 10% of patients Hope to see you soon, Sarah-Yan Chagnon, pharmacist